HAVE A BANANA

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HAVE A BANANA

If you want a quick fix for flagging energy levels there's no better snack

than a banana.

Containing three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose - combined

with fiber, a banana gives an instant, sustained

and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proved that just two bananas provide enough energy for a

strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is

the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the

only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can

also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and

conditions making it a must to add to your daily

diet.

Anemia:

High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the

blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure:

This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt,

making it the perfect food for helping to beat

blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just

allowed the banana industry to make official claims

for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood

pressure and stroke.

Brain Power:

200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their

exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast,

break and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that

the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning

by making pupils more alert.

Constipation:

High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel

action, helping to overcome the problem without

resorting to laxatives.

Depression:

According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering

from depression, many felt much better after eating

a banana. This is because bananas contain trypotophan,

a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin known to make you

relax, improve your mood and generally make you

feel happier.

Hangovers:

One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake,

sweetened with honey. The banana calms the

stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar

levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your

system.

Heart-burn:

Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body so if you suffer from

heart-burn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness:

Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and

avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites:

Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area

with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find

it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves:

Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system. Overweight

and at work? Studies at the Institute of

Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort

food like chocolate and crisps.

Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were

more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report

concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our

blood sugar levels by snacking on high

carbohydrate foods such as bananas every two hours to keep evels steady.

PMS:

Forget the pills eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood

glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Ulcers:

The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because

of its soft texture and smoothness.

It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in

over-chroniculcer cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces

irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature Control:

Many other cultures see bananas as a 'cooling' fruit that can lower both the

physical and emotional temperature of expectant

mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure

their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):

Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood

enhancer, trypotophan.

Smoking:

Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking, as the high levels

of Vitamin C, A1, B6, B12 they contain, as well as

the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the

effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress:

Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the

heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's

water-balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, there by

reducing our potassium levels. These can be

rebalanced with the help of a

high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes:

According to research in 'The New England Journal of Medicine' eating

bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of

death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts:

Those keen on natural alternatives swear that, if you want to

kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with

the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in

place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So you see a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you

compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein,

twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A

and iron, and twice the other vitamins and

minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods

around. So maybe its time to change that well-know

phrase so that we say, " A Banana a day keeps the doctor away! "